One and only

A1-sized painting of a beach scene next to the windy sea. An oil painting on canvas with muted, soft tonal shades of blues and yellows. It is late afternoon, and the sun is getting ready to set over the ocean, casting shadows on the beach. One cloud hangs in the middle above the beach, defying the wind by its presence. To me, this scene epitomizes the contrasts of where the ocean meets the shore. The delicate hues of blue and yellow smoothly flow over the sandy beach, belying the raw, robust strength of the ocean and wind. The texture and contrast of the sand, shells, kelp, and debris, as well as the shadows they cast, create a stark character synonymous with certain times of the day next to the beach. This painting is created on an A3 canvas with oil paint on canvas. I work with a technique called glazing. The oil paint is applied in thin layers, allowing the lower colors of the previous layers to shine through the later layers. This is called optical mixing and creates a resonance in color that is not attainable with only one layer of paint. This is a time-consuming procedure, as each layer has to dry fully before applying the next. This technique creates a luminous quality, that I love to use especially in the skies.